Mighty oak crushes empty classroom
Irreplaceable photographs, artwork and a year’s worth of achievements have been destroyed after a Waikato classroom was crushed by a tree.
A tornado struck Orini Combined School, east of Huntly, shortly before 2.50pm on Sunday during a run of severe thunderstorms across the North Island.
The wild weather uprooted a large oak tree, which crashed down and destroyed a classroom that would have been occupied by 21 six- and seven-year-olds and a teacher on any given weekday.
‘‘I feel sick,’’ teacher
Brenna O’Hearn said, while staring at the damage yesterday morning.
She was thankful the tree had fallen on the weekend while the classroom was empty.
O’Hearn spent 90% of her days at a desk in the corner of the classroom that was crushed, but said it was loss of the sentimental stuff that hurt most.
The biggest loss was a photo album filled with pictures of Sullivan The Sloth, she said.
Sullivan was a soft toy that went home with a different child every weekend and the album was filled with two years’ worth of adventures – including excursions to Great Barrier Island and Queenstown.
‘‘It’s the things that you wouldn’t think mean anything. But it’s all of their work, and they are all proud of their work.
‘‘I was looking forward to them going home with all their books and saying, ‘Look what I’ve done’.’’
She said while it was only ‘‘stuff’’, much of it could not be replaced – like precious drawings from pupils who had left.
Principal Chrissy Wakeman said the tree crushed a classroom and buckled the structure of the next door library, which was now leaking.
Heavy rain battered the North Island on the weekend, and it was unknown how much could be salvaged from either building.
The oak tree had been assessed last year and was deemed safe, she said. It was the only victim of the tornado.
‘‘That’s what it was, a freak accident.’’
She said everyone was grateful the tree hadn’t fallen on a school day, which would have been ‘‘tragic’’.
‘‘But it’s a trauma for the kids. They spend more time here than at home.’’
School was cancelled yesterday, and the children would be moved to a classroom that was currently used as a hall for the remainder of the year.
A plan would be created for next year based on a decision made by the Ministry of Education.
After the removal of the tree, the classroom would be demolished, and Wakeman hoped funding would be approved for the classroom to be rebuilt.
The school now planned to get another large tree that was near its playground checked again.
She said the community was tightknit and had all banded together in support of the school, with many offers for help coming in.